Passenger vehicles may include fuel cell (“FC”) systems to power certain features of a vehicle's electrical and drivetrain systems. For example, a FC system may be utilized in a vehicle to power electric drivetrain components of the vehicle directly (e.g., electric drive motors and the like) and/or via an intermediate battery system. A FC may include a single cell or, alternatively, may include multiple cells arranged in a stack configuration.
During the normal operation of a FC system, waste heat is created as a byproduct of generating electricity. Such waste heat may be utilized by a variety of vehicle systems including, for example, a cabin heating system. However, removing too much heat from the FC system, or excessively increasing temperature setpoints of the FC system to improve thermal quality may negatively influence durability and/or reduce efficiency of the FC system. For example, one way in which operation of a FC system at a higher temperature could impact efficiency and durability includes when the higher temperature causes the FC system humidification level to shift below an optimum value.